A six-month delay has affected homeless support services at Barcelona’s El Prat Airport, with promised social care for individuals residing in both terminals and surrounding areas commencing only two weeks ago, according to Aena sources. Approximately seventy vulnerable people remain affected by this postponement.
Night-time observations at El Prat reveal security personnel checking boarding passes and removing individuals without tickets each evening. The homeless population has decreased from 160 to 70 since March, yet assistance was delayed for half a year.
What Is Happening
The social action plan finally initiated on October 1, six months after Generalitat, Aena and local councils agreed to its implementation. Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni numbered among the signatories to this agreement.
Administrative sources indicate that multiple administrations delayed finalising the document during this period. Meanwhile, vulnerable individuals continued facing nightly removal from terminal buildings without alternative accommodation options.
The official Barcelona Council website details municipal homelessness policies. The situation has presented difficulties for all involved parties.
Why It Matters
This delay demonstrates how bureaucratic processes can impede urgent social care provision. Dozens of people experienced months of uncertainty after being promised support while facing regular evictions.
Although the airport constitutes private property technically, these circumstances raise significant public health and welfare considerations. The Generalitat maintains responsibility for social services throughout Catalonia.
This situation follows last month’s Badalona refugee centre eviction attempt, indicating a pattern of vulnerable groups facing displacement across the region.
The support programme now operates, though six months of uncertainty have exacted a considerable toll. This development may signal meaningful change for Barcelona’s most vulnerable residents.
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